William Maley
Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com
June 22, 2012
Maserati is the odd one out in the Fiat hierarchy. Not able to compete with its sister brand, Ferrari, the brand once known for grand prix cars and mid-engined exotics, now builds soft, grand tourers. However, Maserati’s chief executive wants to change that.
In a interview with Evo magazine, chief executive Harold Wester wants Maserati to go back to the olden days and is pushing for a new mid-engine sports cars. Wester said he would like the car to be “the most pure expression of Maserati sportiness possible.”
His inspiration for this? The Alfa Romeo 4C. Wester, who is also the chief executive of Alfa Romeo was impressed with the reception of the 4C that he would like to bring some of the magic to Maserati.
“Imagine having something like the Alfa Romeo 4C but for Maserati. It would have a carbonfibre monocoque and a mid-engined layout, just like the Alfa 4C, as this gives the stylists the most freedom to design something really stunning.”
The new Maserati, to be called the GranSport, would utilize the 4C’s carbon monocoque construction. Power would come from a 4.7L V8 producing 454 HP. Weight for this new Maserati is targeted at 1200 kg or about 2645 lbs, which would undercut the Ferrari 458 Italia.
The GranSport would be priced at the same level as the higher end Porsche 911s.
“I want this car to be better to drive than a 911 Turbo, but I also want it to cost less. We won’t limit the production of this car, but I’d like to think that we will sell, let’s say, between 1500 and 2000 units a year,” Wester said.
For now, this is just a proposal.
Source: Evo
William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.
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